In a motor vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, a shifter lever is typically pivotable over a series of positions representative of desired transmission gears such as, for example, park (P), reverse (R), neutral (N), drive (D), and low gears (1, 2). The shifter lever is connected to the motor vehicle transmission by a suitable mechanical and/or electronic operating linkage to effect actuation of the transmission to the selected gear when the shifter lever is pivoted to the transmission gear's representative position. The shifter lever assembly is typically provided with a detent or release assembly which releasably holds or retains the shifter lever in the park position to prevent inadvertent movement from the park position. The release assembly typically includes a mechanical actuator such as a push button which is manually operated to release the detent assembly and permit manual pivoting of the shifter lever from the park position to a new position.
Typically, a gate pin engages a gate to prevent movement of the shifter lever out of the park position. The push button is typically located at a knob located at the top of the shift lever. The operator grasps the knob, actuates of the push button to move the gate pin out of engagement with the gate, and pivots the shifter lever out of the park position by pulling on the knob. The knob is then released when the shifter lever is in the desired gear position
These prior shifter lever assemblies generally perform their intended purpose in an adequate manner. A pre-load force is placed on the knob and shifter lever, however, when the operator's hand is placed on the knob. A reaction force of the pre-load force creates friction between the gate pin and gates. This friction causes the need for increased effort when pushing the push-button to move the gate pin out of engagement with the gate. The larger the preload placed on the shifter lever, the more difficult it is to actuate the push button to release the gate pin from the gate. This situation is even worse for instrument panel (IP) mounted shifters because in most cases the driver has to stretch to reach the shifter lever knob when the shifter lever is in the park position. If the shifter lever is pulled too hard, the driver may not even be able to depress the push button because of the high friction. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a shifter with an improved release mechanism.